Thanks to Joe Wrba for contributing to this report.

4.30.2006 The 2005-2006 Maine Chess League Championship was held on Saturday, April 29th at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. When the dust settled it was the Saco Valley Chess Club Tigers taking the trophy and the championship with a perfect 2-0.

Unfortunately, only three teams participated in this event: The Portland Chess Club (average rating 1737), The Saco Valley Chess Club Tigers (average rating 1700) and The Saco Valley Chess Club Lions (average rating 1500). Upon seeing the ferocious names of the Saco Valley teams, the Portland club changed its name to Men with Guns. After the match, their name was changed yet again, this time to Men with Guns without Bullets.

Each team fielded six boards with board order being determined by USCF rating with a 100 point leeway. This allowed captains to place a lower rated player on a higher board as long as that players rating was within 100 points of the player (s)he was replacing. The time control was Game in 75 minutes. Here are the results:

Round 1

Portland Men with Guns 5 (left column) vs. Saco Valley Lions 1

Bryan (2208) - McHugh (1545), 1-0
Babayan (2044) - Jenkins (1460), 1-0
Beers (UNR) - Craven (UNR), 1-0
Savov (1681) - Ivanov (UNR), 1-0
Drizlikh (1650) - Hansen (UNR), 1-0
McCain (1305) - Maloney (UNR), 0-1

Robert Jenkins, right (1460) vs. Ruben Babayan (2044), 0-1

Jarod Bryan, left (2208) vs. Alan Schalk (2031) under the watchful eye of TD Phil Lowell, 1/2-1/2

Round 2

This match was a well-fought, tense struggle. The outcome was not determined until the final minutes when Jarod Bryan, decining a draw offer still had to settle for a draw. This draw secured the match for the Tigers.

Portland Men with Guns 2 1/2 vs. Saco Valley Tigers (left column) 3 1/2

Bryan (2208) - Schalk (2031), 1/2
Babayan (2044) - Wrba (1719), 1-0
Beers (UNR) - Magda (1691), 0-1
Savov (1681) - Brady (1664), 1-0
Drizlikh (1650) - Malev (1600), 0-1
McCain (1305) - Nadeau (UNR), 0-1

Second Round Action: Lucas McCain, left (1305) vs. Dennis Nadeau (UNR), 0-1

Andrey Savov, right (1681) vs. John Brady (1664), 1-0

Round 3

Saco Valley Lions (left column) 0 vs. Saco Valley Tigers 6

McHugh (1545) - Schalk (2031), 0-1
Jenkins (1460) - Wrba (1719), 0-1
Craven (UNR) - Magda (1691), 0-1
Ivanov (UNR) - Brady (1664), 0-1
Hansen (UNR) - Malev (1600), 0-1
Maloney (UNR) - Nadeau (UNR), 0-1

Harold Hanson, left (UNR) vs. Nimrod Drizlikh (1650), 1-0